a recession. our handle on twitter is @bottomline. cnn saturday morning continues right now with top news stories we're watching. the fbi does not, as a matter of routine, look into the affairs of cia officers. >> scandal ill filtrated the cia and has taken down a four-star general. but david petraeus' resignation may just be the tip of a bigger secret. the women's choice, battles over voting rights. tuesday's election revealed new le

le lessons. why could porn be leaving l.a.? a new law passed tuesday may run skin flicks out of town. good morning, everyone. i'm randikaye. we begin with a bomb shell. david petraeus stepped down after admitting to having an extramarital affair. the general's affair was uncovered in an investigation by the fbi involving his biographer paula broadwell. cnn has not been able to reach broadwell for comment, and it's unclear if she is the woman that he admitted to having an affair with. we get more on general petraeus and his year from chris lawrence. >> david petraeus sent this letter on friday admitting that

he had an affair and telling the staff that he had gone to the white house on thursday and asked president obama to accept his resignation. on friday, during a phone call, the white house says the president did accept petraeus' resignation, throwing his national security team into flux just days after the election. by the same david petraeus got his first taste of real combat, he was a 50-year-old major general. he commanded the 101st airborne. it was in iraq when he asked a reporter tell me how this ends. he got the nickname king david used by supporters and to those that labelled him a celebrity general. in swechb, president bush appointed petraeus to lead all troops in iraq.

he rewrote the field manual and his ideas became known as the p petraeus doctrine. obama tapped general petraeus as the man to save the afghan war effort. >> it has again been the greatest of honors to serve here. >> because of his name recognition among the american people, he was surrounded by speculation that he had political ambitions. some wondered if he would appear on the republican presidential ticket, but he knocked down those rumors. >> we're not out there running a political campaign, we're running a war. >> at a senate confirmation hearing to head the cia, he admitted that president obama decided to withdraw thousands of troops significantly faster than petraeus wanted. >> the ultimate decision was a more aggressive formulation, if

you will, in terms of the timeline than what we had recommended. >> petraeus' wife, holly, sat behind him in that testimony, and he publicly praised her. >> she is a symbol of strength. she has hung tough while i have been deployed for over five and a half years. >> the fbi had been investigating a tip that he was having an affair. they were looking into if there was any potential security risks that petraeus may have put himself in a vulnerable position. the question now is who knew what when, and why was nothing done until after the election? >> still so many questions, chris lawrence. back to that fbi investigation, a u.s. official tells cnn that the fbi was not investigating

them for any wrong doing, it was just about protecting him from blackmail, but that explanation is not setting well for some. >> the idea that the fbi is investigating the cia director for an extra marital affair is extraordinary. i have never seen it happen, and it smacks of george orwell. it's more to do than with sex. there is something going on they can't explain. >> this also raised questions regarding the role of the white house and the timing of the announcement. >> this is the key question right now in front of everybody. how extraordinary would it be that you have this type of fbi investigation into your cia director and the president is not informed of it? the word is circulating that the president was not aware that only one petraeus came to him,

but it really seems to believe that someone in the white house didn't know that the fbi didn't inform the white house in some fashion. >> earlier, we talked to fran townsend who thought back to her days in the white house. she says it's unbelievable to think that the president didn't know about it. president obama wasted little time celebrating his election victory, now saying he is ready to work with congress to avoid the fiscal cliff. at it's heart if tax cuts will remain for the middle class and decrease for the wealthy. >> i'm not wedded to every detail, i'm open to compromise and i'm open to new ideas. i'm committed to solving our fiscal challenges. but, i refuse to accept any

approach that isn't balanced. i'm not going to ask students and seniors and middle class families to pay down the entire deficit while people like me, making over $250,000 are not asked to pay a dime more in taxes. i'm not going to do that. >> speaker john boehner, like wise, struck a tone and drawing a hard line saying everything is up for negotiation. >> clearly, the deficit is a drag on our economy. and we can't continue to spend money we don't have. i don't want to box myself in or anybody else in. i think it's important for us to come to an agreement for the president, but this is his opportunity to lead. >> the senate has already passed legislation that would raise taxes on those making more than $250,000 while preserving the bush tax cuts for the middle

class. the latest now on tuesday's election. the president's margin of victory has now increased. he now has a 51% edge over romney in the national popular vote. that is up from a tie that we saw on election night. but down in florida, they are still counting the ballots. officials have until noon today to submit unofficial results to the secretary of state. cnn has yet to project a winner there, but with 97% of precincts reporting, president obama has a lead over romney. the romney campaign has conceded the race in florida. and for the first time since superstorm sandy hit new york, the lights on the statute of liberty were on. it is still closed. in new jersey, chris christie says most areas of the

state will have power by tonight. about 160,000 lost power because of the nor'easter that hit this week. >> life will be back for most of new jersey to normal come sunday. why do i mean, let's start with power. we backtracked slightly due to the nor'easter, after talking to them last night and this morning, my belief is that we will have almost 100% restoration by saturday night. >> you saw those dreadfully long lines on election day, how can we forget them, right? so what can states do to make sure that it doesn't happen again? or should the federal government maybe step in? it's an option and we're talking about it next. what if there was a new way to deal with money

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i want to thank every american that participated in this election. whether you voted for the very first time, or waited in line for a very long time -- by the way we have to fix that. president obama there delivering his victory speech, making a a point though, even in that historic moment, to address those long voting lines. lines like this one that stretched down hallways across parking lots, around city blocks. in states like florida, north carolina, new hampshire, and virginia, where i saw them first happened covering the election in virginia on tuesday. a four hour wait where i was. lines were not the only problem, take racine, wisconsin where

seven or eight sites ran out of ballots on election day. or in pennsylvania where this machine was malfunctioning. just a small sampling of the problems on election day. and now, despite all of those problems, the supreme court just agreed to hear a change to the voting rights act. it is the most powerful tool. the plaintiff, an alabama county says the fed should not subject some states to stricter standards than others. can the u.s. election process even be fixed? joining me now, voting expert and professor of law, rick hasen. thank you for joining me.

you say there was another election meltdown this year, and again, in florida, on your election law blog, i saw that you said let's declare florida an election disaster area and bring in the feds. first, why do you call it a disaster area, do you think those long lines actually affected voter turnout? >> well, you know some people can only get off two hours from work, and one of the things that happened in florida is the legislature and the governor cut back on early voting. that put pressure on voting on election day, and i think some people were so discouraged they could not wait that long. i was watching cnn while the president was giving his speech, and on twitter at the same time, at 1:52 a.m., there was still a voter in line waiting to vote while the president was casting his acceptance speech. >> all you want is your vote to count and your voice to be

heard. i want to the read a passage from "the voting wars." the united states is almost alone in allowing the foxes to guard the hen house. talk about that and some of our problems in our election system today. >> well, there are two big problems. one is that we have partisans oni running our elections. we had an republican election official and a co-chair in bush's election committee. no no other country would a person running the election be part of one of the teams. we didn't have a single election on election day, we had like 10,000 elections. a big part of the problem here is not people trying to steal elections, but the problems of competence and resources. they're running out of ballots, the lines are too long, the machines are malfunctioning, and

in some places you have an easier chance to cast a vote that will count. >> so you say that congress can and should step in here to fix these problems. how would they do that? what kind of constitutional power do they have and what would it look like? >> many people think this is an issue left to the states, but the constitution says when it comes to congressional elections, congress can overpower the state. if the states want to have different rules for their local elections they can. this is how we had laws like the 1993 motor voter law, which required states to do certain voter registration activities. help america vote about in 2002, congress can do this. i don't think they will, but we could have congress step in tomorrow and set up a national allegation to run our elections. >> and you said the federal government could take over the whole process possibly. >> yes, i would like to see a

process when you graduate or drop out of high school, you get registered, and when you move, and they pay with a national id, and they pay for the costs, and i suggest that we could have people, if they want, give a thumbprint. if you forget your card, lose your card, give your thumb print. >> it sounds so easy and organized, it's so bizarre for us, i think. do you think a nonpartisan solution is possible 9/11 today's divided political climate? >> that's the problem. if you look at other countries, you look at australia, canada, they all have nonpartisan election administrators. we had over 200 years of local partisan election administration. so you have a stretch, and low add administration officials.

in 2002, congress set up something called the u.s. election commission. there has been no commissioners on that commission for eight months because congress is divided on it, and the nation that association of secretaries of state, the state election boards, they want to have the body disbanded because they think it's too powerful. it's a real turf war. >> rick hasen, thank you so much for your insight this morning. >> my pleasure. >> growing frustration in the northeast, where it's going on two weeks now since power has been out for hundreds of thousands of victims of sandy. how much longer will they remain in the dark? try running four. fortunately we've got ink. it gives us 5x the rewards on our internet, phone charges and cable, plus at office supply stores.

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the corner from our officers in new york where that crane had collapsed during the storm, the big superstorm sandy. we're glad you're with us in the aftermath. getting the lights back won't come soon enough. new numbers coming in, 280,000 you tulty customers are still out power with 142,000 just on long island. emotions are high and tempers are flaring. susan candiotti is joining us this morning. i suppose you're hearing a lot from angry residents? >> they're angry, they're frustrated, and they're cold, because as you know, the temperatures plummeted over the last week. where is the power, and where are the answers? that's what people are saying over and over again. i'm in a makeshift help center

where fema is handing out water meals ready to eat, here is clothing, baby supplies, pet food, so people with problems can drive think here and pick up supplies, it's being manned by members of the parks department here including life guards, sanitation workers, and mainly, this is mel, this is jim. people are so frustrated, what are you seeing on their faces as they come to you for help without power. >> we're seeing tears, frustration, they just want answers from lipa, they want to know when they're power is back on. thank god fema is here now, they want reassurance. >> jim, you don't have power at your house yet, and you're still here helping people, why?

>> well, it's -- i need to help out the people here in oceanside, because i know as bad as my shows with no power, devastation, water, and somebody else has it worse than me. i have seen the faces coming in here, people crying, tears, i mean the devastation is unbelievable. >> thank you for joining us, city and city officials have been slamming the utility company out here for failing to be prepared for a disaster of this size. and not giving people answers and telling them when they might get their power back. they're saying possibly thanksgiving, possibly christmas, no one knows, and they're not finding out anything. >> has lipa even come out to the neighborhood to try to talk to these people? >> you know, there are utility crews here that are hard at work on various areas, but other people are saying they have been sitting out here since the storm started and they have not seen

one utility crew come by. if homes are flooded out, they can't turn the electricity to even if they wanted to because someone first has to come out and inspect it and clear it, make sure it's prepared. that's adding to the time. >> so frustrating for so many. susan, thank you for bringing us that. if you want to help the storm victims in the northeast, it is easy to do. long on to cnn.com/impact. you will find ways to contribute to that relief effort. unless you live in los angeles, you probably never heard of measure b, but it has the porn industry in southern california all hot and bothered. [ tylenol bottle ] nyquil what are you doing?

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welcome back, i'm rand randi kaye. first up, an extramarital affair ended the career of general david petraeus. after being married for over 37 years, i showed extremely poor judgment. such behavior is unacceptable as a husband and as a leader of an organization such as ours. michael morell will step in, he has been deputy director since may of 2010. turning to the economy, with just 52 days to reach a deal, president obama is set to meet with congressional leader this is week to address the so-called fiscal cliff.

the president and house speaker boehner signaling their open to compromise, but tax hikes on the rich remain a ticking point, and today is declared malala day. this is new video of malala recovering at a hospital in london. you see her there with her father. he got a outpouring of support. today marks one month since that attack. number four, people made home less by superstorm sandy are finding relief. fema set up a camp to help thousands of people affected. fema officials say sand sandy vs will be moved into better

housing this weekend. and the ceo of waffle house has been accused of sexual abuse. rogers has not responded to the claims. barack obama and mitt romney dominated the headlines on election night, but a number of ballot initiatives also caught our eye. it would require condoms in adult videos. here is the part that we can show you. >> despite such lobbying, the ballot initiative passed anyway, and it means condom use will be mandatory for adult films in los angeles county. a spokesman for aids foundation had this to say, he said i believe what the adult film industry really has now is a

marketing challenge, not a legal problem, getting viewers and consumers to adjust to the new normal. james dean and jessica drake are the two actors that appear in the adult video film. and are here now. first of all, this was presented as a workplace safety issue, this whole issue of measure b. let me start with you first, james. how do you see it, do you see it as a workplace safety issue? >> not at all. i feel workplace safety would qualify when you talk about needing to have cables be laid down properly, needing to have an actual legislated e e testing which we have. adding latex does not increase safety, it just decreases sales. i think if you want to do things about workplace safety, then we

should regulate safety. >> jessica, where do you stand? >> i think from a performer standpoint and from the point of a woman, i don't like being told what i have to do with my body. >> supporters say that condom use is now standard in the ga porn business and the so called straight porn business should go along with that too, james, what do you think? >> that's completely inaccurate. i am not in the gay porn business, i do work for a company that shoots both gay, straight, trans -- all sorts of content, and they're completely condom optional as is most of the gay porn companies. the gay porn companies, the reason you see condoms in their movies, and you will have to speak to someone in the gay porn

business, but as far as i understand, they take the personal information very seriously, and it is technically illegal for a producer or director to tell someone with hiv that they will not hire them because it counts as discrimination. i bring this up because what i think should happen is we should get some actual safety measures for performers on the books about testing, and that it doesn't count as discrimination, if you want to have sex on camera, you need to not have any stds. it's fair, just like if you're working in a kitchen, you can't have hepatitis c, as far as i understand. >> tell me about the testing, jessica, in the industry. how regulated is it? >> well, we are tested every 14-28 days as performers. i have been in the adult industry a little over ten years now and i have been tested at least on a monthly basis for

hiv, chlamydia, syphilis, and i have always felt comfortable with the testing. >> we have hiv, herpies tests, they're available, done randomly, done on your first request of a performer. all medications and vaccines, they're all available. they used to give free hpv vaccinations, now they're a very small cost. we're covered beyond all imagineability when it comes to testing, and it's proveen that before all of our protocols in place, someone faked a test and brought hiv into the business. since then, we have had no hiv transmissions, our testing working and it works well.

>> i understand, i got your message. let me ask how this will work. it will be similar to how restaurants are inspected where the sets will have regular and unscheduled inspections, do you see that working? can it be enforced? >> i don't think this is something that can be enforced autoall. before this measure takes effect, a few things have to happen. we have to define exactly what this measure entails. as it was presented on the ballot, and i think it was very misleading as it was on the ballot, it said condom use. but later on it says they can enforce the blood born pathogens law, which is why james and i took part of the psa to show the public that it could be perceived as much, much more than that and i think it was very misleading. >> all right, appreciate you both coming on, we'll see if it

is in force, appreciate your time. >> one thing really fast, condoms are awesome and everyone should use them if you're not having sex within the adult film industry, you should be using a con condom. >> thank you for saying that. why this texas family was so emotional about a relatives recent win at the ballot box. questions? anyone have occasional constipation, diarrhea, gas, bloating? yeah. one phillips' colon health probiotic cap each day helps defend against these digestive issues

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if you're buying gasoline, expect to see slightly lower prices today, a gallon of regular fell a little more than 1 cent. gas prices are down for the second day in a row. the most expensive gas is in hawaii, and the cheapest is on south carolina. and more than 140,000 people are still in the dark this morning and some may not see power until thanksgiving. people are getting desperate, impatient, and furious. >> i can't get anything for my kids, i can't have power, heat, garbage pick up, nothing? >> all we need is help, i'm a

taxpayer, i don't get this, i pay my mortgage welcome i do the right thing, i don't take from the government, but i need the government to help me now. >> and nick volenci has been following this for us morning. a lot of frustration and finger pointing. >> yes, no one is getting a answer. i've been calling lipa, and they called us back to say they would cull us later. so their credit, we tarted looking at their website this morning, they're down about 9000 people. about 142,000 still without power. the majority of the people still affected are on that south shore there, and these frustrations really hit a boiling point yesterday. take a listen.

but the most important thing is power. cuomo, send in the national guard, we are fed up, and we're not going to take it any more, thank you. >> and randi, you spent time there on the ground, it's getting cold, it's low 40s and 30 degree weather. >> and you look at those pictures and it's not like authorities can't get in to help. when the water was still there, you get it. but now they can get into these areas and they're still not helping. and people certainly worried about leaving their homes too, right? because of looting? >> yes, there was concerned, and there were homes that were looted, and now it's just that fear and concern among residents. they told us that it's not widespread looting, but there is that concern, and at the same time, staying in your home to

make sure your possessions don't get stolen. >> what a terrible situation for so many still. >> we're thinking about them. >> yes, we are. nick, thank you for your reporting on that. to politics now where the democrats have picked up another seat in the house how that mary bono-mack conceded the race. and in texas, this man state senator mario gallagos was reelected, but he died last month. his family awork hard to see tht he won. a special needs team being tormented by bullies until the high school football team comes to the rescue. many veterans struggle to find

the same sense of purpose they had in the military. one navy seal says the call to serve never goes away. so he started a organization calls the mission continues to help veterans find a way to continue serving their communities. >> being in the military was one of the greatest times of my life. the men and women were dedicating to serving a purpose bigger than themselves. i did four deployments, in 2007, i came back from my last deployment. i had been serving there as part of an al-qaeda targeting cell. and when i came home, i went to a hospital to visit recently wounded marines. i said if you can't return to the military, what else would you like to do? they all told me they wanted to continue to serve. when i left the hospital, i called two of my friends and they agreed to do something about it. they put in the money from their

disability checks, i contributed my combat pay, and we set it up. >> we work with returning veterans to set up opportunities for them to do a six month intensive service and leadership fellowship in their community, and we help them make a transition from being a veteran to a citizen leader again. >> i think one of the biggest misconceptions about returning post september 11th veteran social security that everyone is coming back injured and struggling. it's a perception that it's an at-risk population. in fact, this is an incredible generation of veterans coming home, that's how we need to see them. these are men and women who wanted to make a contribution. that's why they joined the military. i think the right question to ask a returning veteran is how do you want to continue to serve?

♪ ♪

high school can did b tough on any teenager, but it's especially hard for teens with special needs. today we want to highlight a group of young men that be friended shy johnson. the frip started as a way to protect her from bullies, but it game much more. >> reporter: this story starts with high school hierarchy.

where kids like carson joans lead the football team. and students like shoy johnson try to just make it through the day. >> they were throwing trash at me. >> she was born with a brain disorder, and bullies have always been a part of life until this year when a mom called on a family friend for help, it was carson, starting quarterback. i e-mailed him, said shy was having some issues, was just wanting some names, and he took is a step further, and went and got her at lunch, and she has been eating with her every day. >> shy's guys make it a point to look after her. and it's changed the game. >> they don't bully her any more

because they have seen her with us or something. >> they're modest, but to chy, high school is a new world, a safe one. >> you say these are my boys, right? why is that? >> because they saved me, because i won't get hurt again. >> all because a group of boys broke those silly social rules and through it, earned a loyal friend. >> it feels good to know we helped someone else. we're doing good, everything is going well, but somebody else needs to feel well too. >> all of the boys love me so much. what a great group of guys there. our thanks to affiliate ktka. if you would like to sound out about belieullying, you can twe me.

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good morning, washington dc. so glad you're starting your day with cnn. take a look there at the white house. you know folks are up and adam early trying to work out a deal on that fiscal cliff looming over all of us.

you can say that 50 never looked so good, "sky fall" hoped last night, 50 years after the original. this is daniel craig's third turn as a super spy and the movie is making a killing. "variety" reports that the movie could take in $80 million in it's u.s. opening. most in franchise history. >> just because the election is over doesn't mean the politicians aren't still targets. the late night comedians had their way with washington last night, take a look. i heard a update, power outages, anybody here? i heard a update from com-ed, the electricity company, they said the republicans flow be without power for the next four years. >> speaking of mitt romney, now that he's out of the presidential race, he will no

longer receive protection from the secret service. or as big bird put it -- sup? >> 75% of the gas stations in new york are closed because of power outages or they physically can't get gasoline to the bupum. so starting today, people with license plates ending in an even number or zero can get gas on the even days, and if it sends in an odd number, you can get gas on the odd days of the month, what if your plate is playa like mine? you all know who david petraeus is, he is losing his job because of an affair. if the cia director, who has access to phoney passports, elaborate disguises, safe houses all over the world, if he can't

keep an affair secret, you're screwed. okay? you don't have a chance. well, we have much more ahead in the next hour of cnn saturday morning which starts saturday morning which starts right now. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >> good morning, everyone, skand until the cia after a shocking revelation from the now former cia director david petraeus rocks the community. >> i can't get anything for my kids, i can't get power, heat, garbage pick up? >> fury over the darkness that still plages sandy's victims. who is to blame? malia and sasha obama have grown up a lot over the past four years right before our eyes, so what's it like growing up in the white house?

we'll take a closer look. but first, the abrupt resignation of cia director, david petraeus, and the extramarital affair that led him to step down. he acknowledged the affair and called it unacceptable behavior for a husband and cia leader. now cnn is learning more about the woman who may have been involved with the retired four-star general. susan kelly joins me now from washington with details, what do you know at this hour. >> right, a u.s. official tells cnn that the fbi was investigating a tip that david petraeus was involved in an extramarital affair with paula broadwell. she spent a year interviewing him for the book she co-wrote about him. cnn was not able to reach her for comment and it's not clear if she is the woman that led to

his resigning as cia director. could petraeus have been possibly blackmailed? there was no suggestion that the fbi was investigating petraeus for any possible wrong doing, and the concern that was he could be in a vulnerable spot. >> and he has been married to his wife for some 37 years, they have two grown children, any indications lounge this might have been going on? >> no, and the timing of it really leaves a lot to be answered. this happened a couple days after the election, an election that was a very tough one for the administration. and also, you know, benghazi hearings are coming up next week, but michael morell, the agency's number two, who president obama asked to step up ache and it the acting director position, will be answering questions over what happened there. there's still really no idea how long this affair that the

director has admitted to had been going on. >> what about the president, he accepted petraeus's resignation yesterday, this is a day after petraeus offered it, did the president agonize over this? >> we no that the white house first found out on wednesday, that general petraeus met with the president on thursday, and that he kind of gave him the details, i guess, of what he wanted to do, and the president did have a very tough time accepting the resignation, but he thought about it overnight, and in in a phone call on friday, the president decided he would go ahead and accept the resignation. >> certainly unique, don't you think, not only for him to resign, but to mention an extramarital affair in his resignation letter. >> it puts a lot of painful details out there in the public. and maybe he is coming clean and feels like this is the right way to do is or there will be a lot more details to come out and it

may as well make sense to get it over with now. they do think there will be more information coming out about this in the next week or so. >> we'll be relying on that for you susan, thank you. >> it's unusual for a senior administration official to be so candid as i mentioned about the reasons for stepping down. cnn contributor and former cia officer robert bear calls it extraordinary and he suggests it was about more than an extramarital affair. >> the idea that the fbi is investigating the cia director for a extramarital affair is unbelievable. it's more to do than with sex, there is something going on here that i can't explain ene and i think we will find out very soon. >> former colleagues say they're not surprised he is stepping

down. turning now to the recovery of superstorm sandy, chris christie says he expects almost 100% of the power to be back tonight. some 151,000 households across new york are still without power, and most of those outages are in long island and harder hit areas like queens. people there are fed up and boy, do they want their power back now. >> do you want to hear what i have to say or not? people want to know why their neighborhood remains dark. >> i can't get light or anything on for my kids, i can't get power, heat, garbage pick up, nothing? >> workers from long island power authority are visible, but still can't seem to get the electricity back in homes in the flood zone.

new york's governor threatenned to pull their operating license. >> we gave them a franchise because they represented themselves as experts as doing this and they failed, and they should be held accountable. >> a this church, volunteers worked hard to serve hot meals and keep up moral. the trains are still not running this far out. one woman told us it feels like marshall law here with people in their homes after dark. >> no power, no lights, you can barely see in front of you, it's difficult, you have a hard time, you usually try to get in before the sun goes down. >> kenneth gonzalez is now crammed into his living room, which he shares with three other people. >> if someone comes in here with guns to take the little i have left, what am i supposed to do?

how are we to survive? the devastation left. behind from sandy brings back memories of hurricane katrina, so two community leaders brainstorms on how they could help and they came up with the train of home. the passenger line travelled to newark, new jersey, it left yesterday carrying flashlights, batteries, blankets, baby formula, cold weather clothes, and it arrived in new jersey today. if you want to help victims in the northeast, it's so easy to do, just long on to cnn.co cnn.com/impact. now that washington and colorado voted to make marijuana legal for recreational use, we'll tell you the impact it might have. oh no, not a migraine now.

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here is a sign of the times. voters in two states, washington state and colorado voted to legalize marijuana for recreational use. we're talking simply to get high. here is reaction from the legalization camp in colorado after the initiative passed this week. >> i'm feeling amazing. this is the best day i've seen in my life. >> it's nice to be right, so, you know, we're really happy and most importantly, it's just wonderful that we're not going to see another 10,000 coloradoians arrested and made criminals. >> so let's bring in paul kallen, good morning, a lot of folks talking about this one. legally, this is a mess for the justice department because marijuana is still illegal under federal law? >> it is, and i think most people would be shocked to know that the obama administration has been especially tough on legalized marijuana throughout the united states. under federal law, it's a

schedule one narcotic, the same level as heroin. and for growing it, it's a felony, you can go to prison for many, many years. there are very tough laws. >> so how does this affect america's war on drugs? >> i think law enforcement people are extremely upset about this because they view marijuana as a gateway drug, and they think it will encourage people to get involved with other drugs. the voters seam to em to be goia very different direction. you have enormous numbers of medical marijuana dispensaries opening nationwide, and every time one opens, it's a violation of federal law, so we do need a unified drug policy on marijuana. >> some states certainly now, where it's legal, they're concerned they will see cartels moving in there, what problems do you see local law

enforcement, states, and neighbors having to deal with? >> first i think they need a unified message if existing laws will be enforced. they said hold off on the cheetos, because if the feds are going to come in and enforce the laws, people will be in trouble. and they have an arsenal of laws to use. they can lock people up for growing up, seize assets, they can do all kinds of things. this will be a slow introduction, nationwide, i think if we're in fact going to see legalization. >> some see an upside. they're seeing a multibillion dollar industry in these states and possibly a whole lot of tax revenue. >> i think you're on to something there. the talk that i heard most

recently is why don't you just legalize it and tax it. in california, for instance, they think it's a $14 billion crop. the largest cash crop in california currently. if you take those figures and project them nationwide, and over 100 million americans admit to having smoked marijuana some time in their lives, if you tax it, it's a massive source of revenue. that may be the strongest argument in these tough times to regulate it and tax it since it's being sold illegally. so so do you think this is the beginning of the end? >> i do think this. we're now up to eight states that legalized the drug, and i think you will see a trend toward many, many more. i think, of course, we have to get the federal government to get unified with the states on

it. how can the fed stop this? if one state after another legalizes it, they don't have the resources to shut it down. >> that was paul callen, i spoke to him earlier today for that legalization of the recreational use of marijuana. many small business owners were badly hit in the recession. what they hope the government will now do about the economy.

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make your mark with ink from chase. americans voted on election day, and now they want their leaders to get to work. as we saw throughout the campaign, fixes the economy was issue number one for voters. >> just an hour outside of dc, people in the small town of washington virginia spent months waiting to see what the election would bring their way, and many said they didn't care if the democrats or republicans would win, just as long as the creeping economy starts racing

again. >> i say it's both of those people's faults, and somebody fix it, let's get people in washington that want to sit down and say let's solve the problem and stop the gridlock. >> next door, susan james spent the run up feeling much the same way. >> certainly the economy changed the way we conducted business and changed our major decisions. >> instead of expanding, she kept a close eye on costs, steered clear of debt, and watched the electoral process play out. >> what do you most want to see? >> leadership, stepping up, the game of passing the buck, blaming the other guy, sounds the way my brother and i used to fight when we were seven years old. and we don't want that. >> it was that way all over town before the election.

many like this jewelry maker were unsure of taxes and jobs. >> people are scared to commit from a couple hundred dollars to custom jewelry to a home, people are nervous. >> no one expects any quick fix for the economy. >> it's big, it will take time, and a lot of work. >> but, they're more than ready to start building up again, just as soon as the other washington settles down and gets back to work. tom foreman, cnn, washington, virginia. >> a realistic video game got some navy seals in trouble. #jc@u

welcome back, 23 minutes past the hour now, seven navy ze seals are being disciplined for giving classified information to a video game company. brian todd has the details. >> you're looking through their eyes. the new video game, medal of honor, brags that it gives you the experience of fighting with seal team six. it's given seven real members the feeling of losing their pay. a navy official says the seven, all active duty, have been r

disciplined. >> i wasn't part of making the game, but i heard they may have showed their equipment they used, but they may not seem like a big deal, but you put a little piece of information here and there, and you can put people's safety in harm's way. >> it was not thorszauthorized their commanders, but it goes beyond that. john mcguire has a outdoor finance business, and he had to clear the name 14 years ago with the movie. there was a recent movie called "act of valor." and there was a book written by the former seal that was on the bin laden raid. >> reporter: and two movies detailing the raid. when those details came out, one

seal said it was so much publicity. >> there's too much being discussed about a community that lives on the fact that it's a group of folks that thrive on silent pride. >> they're identities classified, and one disputes the notion that it gave much away. he said raids have not suggested they use video games for intel. this is not used as a tool to aid al qaeda. >> but they're determined to send a message to all of the seals. they were disciplined in front of their team, four others transferred. falling off the fiscal cliff, how we can avoid that, and what's at stake if it does happen. [ male announcer ] it started long ago.

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52 days until we cross over that fiscal cliff. the spending and tax cuts that could happen if we don't make a deal. president obama held a press conference accuracying the issue and his commitment to compromise. >> it's time to get back to work and there is plenty of work to do. i'm not wedded to every detail of my plan. i'm hope to compromise, i'm hope to new ideas. i'm committed to solving our fiscal challenges. but, i refuse to accept any approach that is balanced. >> but republican house speaker john boehner may not make the president's plan so easy.

>> i'm not suggesting we kmied on our principals, but i am suggesting that we commit ourselves to creating an atmosphere where we can seek common ground, where it exists, and seize it. joins us is stephanie, good morning. let's stick with politics here for a moment, there are whispers now that speaker boehner may call the president's bluff, and go right to the cliff, and see who makes the first move. what would happen in that case? >> some are saying what if we fall after the cliff. maybe long term it would be okay for the economy, mane you learn you have the ability to fly, or maybe you plunge to your sudden death. if we do fall off that cliff -- what is that cliff? it basically means taxes are going up, government spending will go down, and we could fall

into a resection. if you look at the way the market reacted, the dow dropped 300 points saying suddenly, the market has to face this fiscal cliff, and if we do, it will be very bad for our economy. why? because we cannot grow. even though we have all of this stimulus in the system pumping money, if the economy can't grow, what does it say for our country? >> so with the u.s. debt situation, is there any way to get around these tax increases? >> it's tough to say at this point. if you look at the market reaction, it's almost shocking. the polls were saying barack obama was so likely to win, and suddenly, the market went up, just as the market was banking on mitt romney, and when the dow went down that much, the market is concerned. they can only focus on one thing at a time, and when they feel like ged will go down, people

won't have disposable money, it's bad. we need to increase jobs, and if we fall off the cliff, it's and clear how we he will do that. a group of ceo reached out to the president and said please address this fiscal cliff issues. both sides had to focus on the election, and now that it's over, we could see the president reach across the isle, we could see boehner do the same and that's what the country needs because for the president, he needs to focus on his legacy and not just winning the election. >> and that's what they're hoping to see is some type of compromise here. but there is upside to letting those cuts expire. unemployment by 5.5% they say by 2020. is it possibly worth the short-term pain for the long-term gain even if we see unemployment at 9.1%? but then we would see it go down

to 5.5? >> possibly, but look at the company and how individuals respond. people don't look long term, they want immediate results. they want a job today to go tole mall tomorrow, the political officials will please them today. they want $100 today, they don't want to save it to have $1,000 in five years. even if long temple it's the right decision, it's not how we see politics and economics play out right now. >> who will get hit the hardest if we go off this cliff? >> right now it feels like everyone. if you look at the markets, they will say the markets get hit the hardest, and corporations, and people won't have jobs, they will not be out there spending, and if there's massive government spending cuts, it will not just hit individuals, but we need the country growing and moving. not just in the u.s., but that's the case in europe. so if you have central banks

intervening, pumping money into the system, this is false stimulus and we need growth. >> thank you for coming on, we appreciate you helping us make sense of that, thank you. almost a week after the election, florida is finally finished sounds it's presidential ballots. state election officials should have the final tally of the presidential race in the next 30 minutes or so. nick valencia is here. >> they're finally done, a handful of days, it matters to some people closely monitoring the race, but we know that all 67 counties in florida, by noon today, they need to submit their unofficial-official results. most of the votes not counts will from b from heavily democratic areas. so president obama will just pad his lead. >> the votes matter, but it

won't change the election. >> it seems like they will go towards the president, so we will have the results when they come out, stick around for that. >> nick, thank you very much. turning now to the recovery from superstorm sandy, two weeks after the tomorrow, chris christie says he expecting nearly all of the power to be restored statewide by tonight. his comments came after he toured the jersey shore. he said this is our katrina. people all over the world celebrating malala day, we'll tell you how this brave girl is doing after being shot by the tall ban. i don't use super poligrip for hold because my dentures fit well. before those little pieces would get in between my dentures and my gum and it was uncomfortable. even well-fitting dentures let in food particles. super poligrip is zinc free. with just a few dabs, it's clinically proven to seal out more food particles

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the pakistani girl who was shot in the head for standing up for a female's right to education. >> reporter: it is staggering to see her out of bed with her father, looking through some of the thousands of get well cards she received. it's exactly a month since she was shot at point-blank rang by taliban gunman. despite the bullet passing through had her head and neck, she is able to talk. doctors are still assessing the extent of the damage. >> i'm thankful to all of these loving well wishes for malala, who strongly condemn the assassination attempt on her, who pray for her health, and

support the great cause of malala which is education, freedom of thought, and freedom of expression. >> the cards have come from all over the world. this one from myanmar, burma, some signed by households, some by offices. there is now an internet campaign for her to win the noble peace prize. she is in very good hands, surprising everyone with her determination to recover. former british prime minister gordon brown is heading the malala campaign. he is touring pakistan this weekend to boost education, and it was his office that declared today malala day. four more years, and we don't

mean president obama, we're talking about the two young ladies that live at 1600 pennsylvania avenue. what's it like for them growing up in the white house. first, if you're visiting other cities and you want to fit in and feel like you belong, what's the best way to do this? through food, perhaps. cnn is teaming up with "travel and leisure" magazine to come up with a list of places to eat and your contributions will play a very big part. here is a sample. ♪ >> reporter: it's a damp, chilly morning in denver, colorado, and we're going to try to warm up at the denver biscuit company. just a few years ago, this was really just a bar, people came here to drink at nighttime, and now there's highchairs and kids in here. >> yeah, it was a big question

if people would come into a drinking place to eat breakfast, and i think that's a testament to our food. >> should we head to the ki kitchen? >> sure, absolutely. >> that is a serious rolling pin. >> stainless steel. >> that's all right. >> you better do this. >> okay, we must pause for the twitter photo. >> yeah, for sure. >> all right, i'm going to start with the franklin, you start with one of those, and then we'll switch. >> definitely. ♪ >> oh my god, it's so good. it's ridiculous.

the biscuits at the denver biscuit company are so good, they're amazing, we have to take a box with us. thank you. boy did that look good, but jim did not send us any of those biscui biscuits. go to ireport.com, tell us what is your favorite dish. places to eat like a local will be revealed in march 2013. see if yours makes that list. ♪

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malia and sasha obama have grown up a lot over the past four years. most of it out of the public eye, but on election night, young sasha demonstrated she too may have a future in politics. you see what happened there, the crowd in mccormick wild when she reminded her father to acknowledge the hundreds of voters sitting behind him. you can't teach that kind of savvy, as they begin another four years, you want to take a

look at their lives and how they compare with other first children. >> they may be growing up in the white house, but to sasha and malia, mr. president is simply daddy, and on election night, their daddy sounded so proud. >> sasha and malia, before our very eyes, you're growing up to become two strong, smart, beautiful young women, just like your mom. and i'm so proud of you guys. but i will say that for now, one dog is probably enough. >> hard to believe it's been more than four years since we were first introduced to the obama girls. remember this precious moment at the 2008 democratic convention? >> daddy, what city are you in? their parents for the most part keep them out of the spotlight,

but they were beaming, and boy have they grown. doug weed has written about presidential families for decades, and interviewed 19 presidential history have been children who were kept out of the limelight during their father's presidency. this was a study that jacqueline kennedy made and concluded the obamas have subscribed to that and historically this has proven to be the wisest form of presidential parenting. >> while we haven't heard much directly from the two girls over the years, their parents share quite a bit about them. listen to what the president told abc's robin roberts about his daughters last year. >> they're smart, they're funny, most importantly, they're kind. they're respectful. they're responsible. they're well behaved. i could not have asked for better kids. i should also point out that i have men with guns that surround them often. and a great incentive for running for re-election is that

it means they never get in a car with a boy who had a beer. >> malia who will be 18 by the time her father's second term ends, is already asking about her driver's license. the president has said he'll allow it. but other things are simply against the rules as mr. obama recently told the ladies of "the view." >> first of all, malia didn't get a phone until last year. they don't have facebook page. you know, part of that, obviously, is for security for us. we don't let them watch tv or use their computer except to do home work during the week. >> reporter: the president was asked on mtv how he feels about malia soon dating. >> dates, that's fine. she's, you know, she has secret service protection. >> the goal in this white house seems to be normalcy. the president tries to be home for family dinner most days and even helps coach sasha's basketball team. and this past summer both girls went away to sleep away camp. of course, the secret service

went with them. even living in the white house, though, doesn't mean the girls get a free pass. they still make their beds and malia does her own laundry. lots of pressure comes along with being the president's daughter. michelle obama shared this story with jimmy kimmel. >> that was the instruction before he gave the speech at the dnc. we're backstage and they're playing around and laughing and giggling and he said just act like you're listening to me. so the whole time i'm clapping and looking over at them and i'm like smile. smile. they're like oh, okay. >> reporter: sasha and malia seem to be handling the spotlight just fine. but it wasn't so easy for those before them. george w. bush's daughter jenna was arrested for having alcohol as a minor. months later, she was charged with using a fake id to purchase alcohol. and then there's chelsea clinton whose father was impeached following his affair with monica lewinsky. >> the greatest memory of chelsea clinton is that scene of her walking across the lawn and

taking her father's hand and her mother's hand and literally holding that marriage together. >> reporter: so much history at 1600 pennsylvania avenue. now sasha and malia's early years firmly part of it. not so easy growing up inside that fishbowl. clearly, malia and sasha seem to be handling it pretty well. cnn newsroom starts at the top of the hour. how are you doing? >> hi, great to see you. we're talking about the fallout from petraeus and the president and his administration. it's what everyone talking about. this is a huge loss for our country and still so many questions around it. also, the legal guys are back as they always r they'll be tackling everything from marijuana, legal now as you know in colorado and washington, to drug sniffing dogs. should that hold up in court? and also, criminally offensive tweets. during sandy there were tweets out there that were just false. so is that against the law or is

it freedom of speech? it's morally wrong, i believe. the legal guys are going to tackle that. >> it will be an interesting discussion. >> this is exciting. james bond new movie coming out "sky fall." we're going to talk about various trips can you take in a james bond way. where he would go, destination vacations. >> on your tab or someone else's? >> i think it's on your tab. the cars don't dcome with it. and we're going to see amazing pictures from mars and the brains behind that. it's going to be an exciting show. >> it should be. we'll be tuning in. i think you're going to get the florida vote at some point. >> we're hoping. no hanging chads this year. >> that's good news. steven spielberg's new movie "lincoln" opens this weekend. find out what critical lessons president obama might learn from that film.

i heard and update from con-edison. they say the republicans now will be without power for the next four years. >> speaking of mitt romney, he will no longer receive protection from the secret service. or as big bird put it, wassup? >> listen, you all know who david petraeus is, right? probably our greatest general. he loses his job, career, reputation, all over an affair. so, guys, let that be a lesson to you. as cia director who has access to phoney passports, elaborate

disguises, has safe houses all over the world, if he can't keep an affair secret, you're screwed, okay? you don't have a chance. you don't have a chance! >> president obama is facing a big challenge in the weeks ahead. i'm talking about the fiscal cliff. those drastic spending cuts and tax hikes that kick in if president obama and congress don't strike a budget deal by the end of the year. tom foreman reports the president could get some pointers from a former president who was also a master negotiator, abraham lincoln. >> reporter: for those looking for inspiration in these troubled times, the new movie "lincoln" may be just what the director ordered. by all accounts, a mix of personal and political wisdom. >> it is a self-evident truth of things which are equal to the same thing are equal to each other. >> reporter: at the white house,

president obama has long admired the 16th president. he took the oath on the same bible lincoln used. he stopped by the lincoln memorial. he often reads about lincoln and he's quite fond of quoting the rail splitter. >> i'm far more mindful of my own failings knowing exactly what lincoln meant when he said i have been driven to my knees many times by the overwhelming conviction that i had no place else to go. >> reporter: so what lessons might lincoln have for this president's second term? considering he's one of the most well researched figures in american history, plenty. at illinois wesley university, robert bray is one of the nation's top lincoln scholars. he said his first advice might be make your enemies into friends. bray says lincoln was able to keep his eyes on the prize which means he was able to dissociate himself from personal attacks. second, be firm but play nice. lincoln could talk without anger, even to his political opponents. and third, take the long view.

bray says lincoln firmly believes that if americans put their heads together and put their will to it, they can be a shining example of equality for the whole world. of course, will is much more. the folks at ford's theater where he was assassinated say more than 15,000 books have been written on lincoln's life and lore, enough to build this 34-foot tower and allowing aid to offer advice across the centuries, honestly. tom foreman, cnn, washington. i definitely want to see that movie. >> it's astonishing how much the actor looks like abe lincoln. >> cnn newsroom continues with su susan hendrix. >> and we start with this. we are learning new details about the shocking announcement from cia director david petraeus that he is resigning his post over an extramarital affair. here's what we know right now.